Despite the Philippine government's strongly-worded statement, the more than 200 Chinese fishing vessels believed to be manned by maritime militiamen and which were first spotted two weeks ago, remain at the Julian Felipe Reef (Union Reef) in the West Philippine Sea (WPS).
Lt. Gen. Cirilito Sobejana, chief of staff of the Armed Forces of the Philippines (AFP), said he had already sent Navy and Air Force assets in order to check the current situation in the area.The Western Command (WesCom), the unit which has operational jurisdiction over the WPS and led by its commander, Admiral Ramil Enriquez, twas the one assinged to account all the foreign vessels.
"Nandoon pa at binibilang naming mabuti ( are still there and we are counting them carefully)," he said.
Citing a report from the Philippine Coast Guard, the National Task Force for WPS bared the presence of 220 Chinese fishing vessels at the Julian Felipe Reef on March 7.
Maj. Gen. Edgard Arevalo, AFP spokesperson, said the military confirmed the report after it sent a fixed-wing aircraft from the Philippine Air Force around 8:40 a.m. Monday to conduct surveillance in the WPS.
Arevalo said the military plane came back around 12 noon at the headquarters of the WesCom in Puerto Princesa City, Palawan. He said Sobejana is now awaiting Adm. Enriquez to submit an official report about the Chinese vessels' presence in the WPS.
On Sunday night, Defense Sec. Delfin Lorenzana called on China to "stop" their "incursion" in the WPS and "immediately recall these boats" which are "violating our maritime rights and encroaching into our sovereign territory."
Meanwhile, Foreign Affairs Secretary Teodoro Locsin Jr. said that he already filed a diplomatic protest against China over the incident.
The Julian Felipe Reef is a boomerang-shaped, shallow coral reef at the northeast of Pagkakaisa Banks and Reef.
It is located approximately 175 nautical miles west of Bataraza, Palawan and is within the 200-nautical mile exclusive economic zone (EEZ) of the Philippines.
Sobejana said that the AFP will conduct more maritime patrols in the WPS to ensure the safety of fishermen casting their nets over the disputed waters and the citizens living on and near the troubled islands.
"We continue to monitor the situation in abidance to the international laws and the preservation of the status quo in the West Philippine Sea," Sobejana said.
"Our utmost priority remains to be the protection of our citizens in the area, particularly our fishermen, through increased maritime patrols," he added.